Meticulously produced 1989 orchestral pop work includes Top 40 hits "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and "Woman In Chains"

Having elected to defy tradition and wait four years to release a follow-up to their commercial breakthrough Songs From the Big Chair, Tears for Fears expand their creative prowess on The Seeds of Love. Opting for grand melodies over radio-targeted hooks and reflecting a slightly sunnier disposition, the compositions establish an even closer relationship to soulful roots and hint at gospel undercurrents. The duo, too, also discovered a secret weapon in the person of Oleta Adams.

This Silver Label LP resolves with striking clarity and precision the myriad layers of orchestral-themed information that pack jazzy fare such as "Standing on the Corner of the Third World" and balladic turns like "Year of the Knife." Distinguished with sumptuous production techniques that reportedly cost more than one million pounds to realize, the album benefits from the enhanced spaciousness, bigger soundstages, increased atmospherics, and amplified dynamic contrasts afforded by this audiophile collector's edition.

While again pursuing themes associated emotional hurt and healing, Tears for Fears take a more grandiose turn on arrangements steeped in suite-like forms and epic pop psychedelia. Adams lends warmth via her gospel-shot vocals as well as her female presence. She grounds songs with a combination of gentle poignancy and soaring theatricality, bringing a can't-miss energy to rigorously crafted works that aim for a lasting transcendence independent of radio interest.

Of course, with the proudly bombastic "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and "Woman In Chains," Tears for Fears again found chart-scraping success, the hits being rewards for uncompromising boldness and this record's expertly polished sound. The group's sonic evolution is also apparent on the album cover: An eye-popping, colorful montage suggestive of the music's harlequin textures and stylish devices replaces the stark, gray-hued image carried by its predecessor. Here's a set that you can fairly judge by the cover.

1. Woman in Chains

2. Badman's Song

3. Sowing the Seeds of Love

4. Advice for the Young at Heart

5. Standing on the Corner of the Third World

6. Swords and Knives

7. Year of the Knife

8. Famous Last Words

Customer Reviews(4.00 Stars) 1 person(s) rated this product.

A very good surprise.

posted on 09/05/20134 StarsReviewer: Christophe from Paris

Beautiful print about a sound circa 1989. Very large, deep, muscled rythm section by Pino Palladino and Manu Katché. Listened with a pinch of loudness ( just a pinch, i adore that) Silent vinyl. Chic sleeve. A very good surprise. Go for it !